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James Bennett's younger brother, Anthony Bennett, said he inspired him to become an officer himself. He is coping with the loss of his brother, but also angered by the violent way he died.

It is a sentiment shared by many of the officers attending the funeral services.

As the slain officer was laid to rest, Anthony Bennett, a police officer in Seattle, carried his casket as he continues to cope with the shock of the loss.

"It's not the way us policemen think. If we're going to meet an end that way, we always think it's going to be on a call or something like that, not just somebody walking up and murdering you," Anthony Bennett said.

James Bennett, who worked on the HANO Police Department for two years, was shot and killed as he secured a HANO construction site in Central City.

Hundreds of officers from throughout the country, including Chicago and New York, attended the services, including Officer Quentin Seals, who worked alongside James Bennett for nearly two years and now works for the New Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office.

"Losing a brother in arms is never easy. It feels awkward, you want to be strong, but you want to feel the emotion, so it doesn't feel real," Seals said.

The officers also cope with the reality of the negative climate surrounding law enforcement throughout the country.

"This is a tough job, you do it because you love it, you don't do it because you get paid a lot, so we're out here on the front line trying to protect the public," Seals said.

HANO police Chief Robert Anderson said, "We want the people to know despite all this, we're out there, we're going to protect."

Meanwhile, James Bennett will be remembered as an officer who served with pride and an officer who loved interacting with residents and the city's youth. Anderson said James Bennett frequently talked about two things; his mother's cooking and how proud he was of his 20-year-old son.

"He's just one of those officers who had a commanding presence about him. He wasn't excitable, he'd show up at a scene and he just had a calming presence about him," Anderson said.

With the death of James Bennett, the HANO Police Department is now an 18-member force. HANO's Executive Director Gregg Fortner said they will work side by side with the New Orleans Police Department to assist in the investigation as they continue to look for James Bennett's killer.

James Bennett's career in law enforcement spans nearly three decades. He joined the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Reserve Unit in 2000 before taking the job at HANO. He also served overseas in the first Gulf War.